Conservation in Cambodia - Monthly Update July 2013

Heavy rain for the majority of the month meant we were only able to complete 20 seahorse surveys. However, the volunteers didn’t let this get them down as they were keen to continue their training in order to complete 30 of these surveys the following month. The reef team have successfully surveyed 40 of their 49 GPS points around the island and are excited to explore new areas.

New arrivals to the project are keen to be trained and become part of the survey team, as the dives are exciting and the work rewarding. All our 2 Week Special volunteers got involved as much as possible in the limited time available and gelled well with our long term volunteers.

Seahorse Surveys

Heavy rain meant only 20 seahorse surveys were completed, but the extra bungalow time meant we completed our report for the second quarter of 2013. Abigail, Stephanie and Matt put their statistics to good use while other volunteers provided photos and helped with writing the report.

Due to the limited diving, some of the seahorse team also joined some of the reef dives to see what it was all about. We hope to train some of our long term volunteers in reef and seahorse data collecting techniques in order to complete more surveys per month despite having worse weather.

Reef Surveys

The reef team have now surveyed 40 of the GPS points extending around the island. Our 2 Week Specials got to go on some reef dives and learn fish identification with Erika, as well as learn how we survey. This data will contribute directly to a comparative study where the findings will be produced in a final report and we can evaluate the effectiveness of the community fishing area and implement more protective and monitoring strategies in the future.

Clean Ups

Heavy rain during July meant any sunshine got us all outside and cleaning the beach. We worked along Long Beach, the project site, and the playground throughout the month. A break in the rain got the volunteers keen to get outside and moving. Kori, Eveline and Steph were great at getting the other volunteers motivated too.

Community Projects

The 2 Week Special volunteers were great at maintaining the playground and Khmer school. Daily activities there include clean ups, gardening and maintenance, topping up with fresh sand and painting a mural on the pre-school wall. Other long term volunteers also got involved with this and made it a successful group effort.

Heavy rain during July kept the volunteers indoors, but still happy and motivated. We had a lot of statistics and report writing sessions, volunteers helped to update coral, fish, invertebrate and seahorse identification guides and we even had some spare time for diving and conservation documentaries. The 2 Week Special volunteers fit in really well with others and quickly adapted to daily life on the island.